Glossop Guild for enquiring minds
Autumn Venue Courses
September 2026 ~ December 2026
1930's France on Film
Tutor: Alan Sennett
Tuesday evenings 7.30 -9.30 in Bradbury House
22nd September
26th September
6th October
Fee: £20 members; £24 non-members
This popular tutor is back to lecture on French cinema during the inter-war period. The first session will cover the aftermath of the Great War, the impact this had on the population and how this affected the films that were being produced at the time. The second session will move in to the period of the Popular Front i.e. 1935-37/8, while the last session will look at the the role of the cinema as the clouds of war descended on Europe once more.
'From Domesday to Glossop'
Tutor : Tony Wright
Thursday pm 2.00-4.00 in Bradbury House
22nd October
Fee: £8 members; £11 non-members
Join Tony Wright of Glossop Heritage Trust as he delves into some aspects of our local history. This session will cover a wide sweep of history as it stretches between 1086 and the present day.
The talk's title is "From Domesday to Glossop" and will cover the development of the Glossop we know today by reference to 4 subjects- Water, John Wood, the Ellison Family and through them the Howards/Dukes of Norfolk.
'The Feminist Art of Walking"
Tutor: Morag Rose
Thursday pm 2.00-4.00 in Bradbury House
29th October
Fee: £8 members; £11 non-members
Join author, artist and academic, Morag Rose as she shares insights from her book The Feminist Art of Walking..
The Feminist Art of Walking celebrates women who have transformed the everyday act of walking into powerful works of art, activist and political statements. It also states the case for the importance of accessible, equitable public space. This talk will take us on a journey around the UK and explain how walking might just change the world.
'Is Germany in Decline?'
Tutor: Simon Bulmer
Monday 7.30pm-9.30pm in Bradbury House
2nd November
Fee: £8 members; £11 non-members
In the 2010s Germany was the leading power in Europe. Its economy was based on prodigious exporting of manufactured goods, low levels of public borrowing and a predominant position in both the European Union and the Eurozone. Politically, its politics were largely consensual, with a stability encapsulated in the fifteen-year leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Today, by contrast, its economy is under severe challenge, for instance with major job losses at its car manufacturers, while Merkel’s successors have failed to maintain public support, heightening the rise of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party. How did things change so swiftly? And is Germany in crisis? This session will try to provide explanation and answers.
'The Science of climate change without the rhetoric
Tutor: Oli Missa
Monday evening 7.30-9.30 Bradbury House
9th November
Fee: £8 members; £11 non-members
Join us for an accessible introduction to the real science behind our warming world, where we'll unpack the fundamental role of water, wind, and temperature as the key energy players driving the climate system. Cutting through the noise, this talk translates the physics into plain language — no prior expertise required — so you can ground your understanding in the measurable processes actually reshaping our planet. Come curious; leave with the facts.
"All you need is love"
Tutor: Les Berry
Wednesday pm 2.00-4.00 at Bradbury House
4th November
11th November
Fee: £14 members; £17 non-members
For many years now we have been treated to notions of John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a great lyric writing and composing team in which Lennon assumed the role of of the no-nonsense working class hero whilst McCartney was, and still is by some, viewed as the less hard-edged, pretty boy. I would like to re-assess this notion with reference to a selection of the songs, from the “Yeah, Yeah” early ones to the later splendours of the Abbey Road album. A tall order in two weeks but a worthwhile challenge. I hope you will agree
FILM DAY 'Our Man in Havanna' 1959
Tutors: Alan Sennett and Creina Mansfield
Saturday 14th November
10.30am - 3.30pm
Bradbury House
Fee: £26 members; £33 non-members
Our Man in Havana is a satirical Cold War spy comedy based on the novel by Graham Greene. The protagonist is a British vacuum cleaner salesman in pre-revolutionary Cuba who is unexpectedly recruited by MI6. As he is totally ill-equipped for espionage duties, he concocts fanciful intelligence to keep the money rolling in, only to find his fabrications collide with reality. the leading actor is Alec Guinness, who along with a stellar cast, balance intrigue, wit and atmosphere, making it a stylish and entertaining classic film. A good way to spend the day on a damp Saturday in November.
'Devolution: Andy Burnham's Big Idea, can it work?
Tutor: Simon Bulmer
Monday evening 7.30-9.30 Bradbury House
16th November
Fee: £8 members; £11 non-members
Andy Burnham’s sudden ‘ascent’ from Greater Manchester mayor to prime minister in June/July 2026 was an unprecedented elevation, even in light of the recent accelerated turnover in British prime ministers. A key platform of his prime ministership is the devolution of power, symbolized by the establishment of Number 10 North in Manchester’s Albert Square. This session will examine the record of devolution, which first developed under Tony Blair’s premiership, with powers handed to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as with John Prescott’s creation of English regions. What are the opportunities and risks for political and economic revival via Andy Burnham’s approach to devolution?
Huge Title
'Navies on the Railway'
Birgitta Hoffman
Wednesday pm 2.00-4.00 at Bradbury House
18th November
Fee: £8 members; £11 non members
The modern railways would be unthinkable without the people who built them: the navvies. We know a lot about the men who built the later railways but not so much about the navvies on the very first railways. However, in recent years, research has discovered some new sources which have allowed historians to learn about the early pioneers who built the first railway line between Manchester and Birmingham during the years 1840-1842.
Join Birgitta as she delves into the stories behind these hard working and hard living men.
'One of a Kind': Charles Rennie MacKintosh,
Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso
Frank Vigon
Tuesday pm 2.00-4.00 at Masonic Hall
24th November
1st December
8th December
Fee: £20members; £24 non members
In these 3 sessions our favourite art historian, Frank Vigon, will deliver lectures on three enigmatic and prolific artists of the late 19th Century and early-mid 20th Century.
In Sesson 1 Frank will visit the work of Charles Rennie MacKintosh (1868-1928), the Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist who led the Glasgow style by fusing Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, and Celtic Revival into Modernism. There will be a focus on his unique style: the contrast between short tight angles and floral inspired motifs with subtle curves such as the Mackintosh rose motif.
Session 2 will look at the long life and varied career of Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Chagall was born in Vitebsk (today's Belarus) into Jewish ancestry, at a time of great upheaval in Russia. These Jewish roots never left Chagall and were reflected in his individualistic style. He is known for his poetic figurative style which blends Eastern European movements with Cubism, Fauvism and Surrealism. He is famous for his use of colours and believed that 'colours are a living, integral part of the picture, never passively flat or banal like an afterthought.'
Our final session will study Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), the Spanish painter and sculptor who spent most of his life in France. He is one of the most influential and well-known artists of the 20th century with his career spanning over 75 years. During that time Picasso's work was divided into various periods such as Analytic Cubism (1909-1912) and Synthetic Cubism (1912-1919). Frank needs a whole course on Picasso to discuss this enigmatic man but, hopefully, in one session he will attempt to give us a flavour of why he is so influential to 20th century art.